If you're over the age of 20, you might think you're too old to
learn how to code. But 56 year old VM Vaughn's here to tell you
that's not true. In this podcast, he shares his epic beat-down of
his critical inner self and lays out his path towards an exciting
second career.

I love losing myself in an algorithm challenge. I love squeezing
in a few extra minutes testing just one more thing. I love thinking
“maybe I’ve got it this time.” And getting to “Yes! It finally
works!”

But here’s the thing. I’ve never been one for hobbies. I don’t
like activities that don’t pay. I can’t keep on doing something
simply for the fun of it.

What I work on during my off time has to have some economic
upside for me.

OK, coding pays. It can pay big. So what’s the problem?

Well, before I could fully embrace myself as a 56-year-old
programming rookie, I had to deal with my Critical Inner Self
(let’s call him CIS for short).

Learning all this stuff is hard enough without my CIS whispering
in my ear the whole time.

If I can give my CIS an epic beat-down, then I should be able to
handle anyone who appears to work on his behalf. And these agents
of CIS often appear out of no where, asking critical questions.

CIS: Why are you doing this at your age?

Me: What you really mean is how much longer will I live. And do
I really have enough time left to make money programming. Let’s
break that down.

I’m an American. My life expectancy is 78.8 years. So that means
I’ve got a better than average chance of living another 22.8 years.
That may not seem like a lot when you’re 20, but I’m 56 and dancing
in the street over here.

(And because I’m 56, I’ve got better odds of making it to 78
than a 20 year old. But that’s beside the point.)

Now, let’s say I’m a snail and it takes me 4 years to finish
Free Code Camp’s 1-year curriculum to become a fledgling full stack
developer. That puts me at 60 years old looking for a job as a
junior developer.

Let’s say it takes me another 2 years to land a job because of
my age, and let’s assume that 70 is the limit for how long an
employer wants me hanging around.

That’s 8 years to practice my craft. That’s plenty of runway to
get pretty good. And because I’ve been around the block and know
the grass ain’t always greener on the other side, I’m much more
likely to stay with that employer who hired me first.

What 20-year-old stays with their first developer job that
long?

CIS: But who’s going to pay you the kind of money that you
already make now?

Me: You could ask me that even if I didn’t learn to program. But
I know what you’re getting at. Chances are an entry level developer
job will pay me less than I’m making now.

Well here’s a thought for you. My paycheck is less today than it
was five years ago. And that’s with 5 more years of experience.

There’s no guarantee that the job I have now will last. And when
it doesn’t, I’ll have to find a new job anyway. At my age, I very
well may have to accept entry level wages doing something…
anything.

I’d rather have the skills and portfolio to go for an entry
level position that can lead to much greater earnings — or at least
the ability to beat the bushes and pick up some freelance work.

CIS: But all the big tech companies want to hire young kids
right out of college.

Me: That’s easy. I don’t want to move to Silicon Valley and I’m
not looking to work for a big tech company.

You’ve read the same stats as me. By 2020 there will be
1,000,000 more programming jobs than people trained to fill them.
Not all of those openings will be at the “big 4” — Google,
Facebook, Amazon, or Microsoft. In fact, most programming jobs
aren’t even in the technology industry.

My first computer job was in a hospital. I didn’t program, but
most of the employees in the IT department were programmers.

And that was way back in 1982.

CIS: Then how are you going to get a job?

Me: First things first, I’m going to apply to a lot of jobs,
build a network of hiring managers, and make sure I get a lot of
interviews. It’s a numbers game and I’m going to play it.

All that wonderful stuff I did before the year 2000? Gone from
my resume.

Once I’m in the door for an interview, it’s not like I’m going
to act like someone’s grandfather. I’ll be just another candidate
who’s passionate about programming and excited to learn more. And I
won’t act like I know more than I do.

And most importantly, I’ll be prepared for common coding
challenges and whiteboard interview questions.

I’m sure I’ll mess up a few interviews. But the good news? There
are plenty of companies out there hiring developers. I’ll keep
trying.

CIS: Programming teams are full of young people. How are you
going to fit in?

Me: If by “fit in” you mean how do I become one of the bros? In
that case, you’re right. I won’t fit in.

At my current job, I show up every day knowing that somebody at
work has something to teach me. So I listen. I don’t presume to
know everything that’s going on in my boss’s day, so I give him a
break. And when I mess up, I say so.

That’s how I’ve fit in at every job I’ve had over the last 36
years.

CIS: You’ve got a decent job. Why not just accept it? You are
where you’re going to be, especially at your age.

Me: Accept it? Too late. I’ve already re-framed it.

Learning to program energizes me. Working toward a second career
gives me the boost I need to get through the daily slog of the one
I’ve got now.

And really? You know where I’m going to be at 60, 70, and
(hopefully) beyond? I sure don’t.

CIS: How do you know you’re not just wasting time?

Me: What you’re really asking is: “What if you don’t get a
9-to-5 paycheck after this?”

My answer: “So what?”

I can get good enough, in time enough, to program well
enough:

to build web apps to build an audience…and offer them even more
value from my billable services.

to grow a web business helping local businesses grow and nurture
their own customers.

to combine my programming know-how with existing SaaS APIs to
offer a productized service to a niche community.

To put it another way, I can learn how to build an idea. To put
it out there for people to use. To offer value. To make money.

With or without a 9-to-5 J.O.B.

So that’s why even though I’m 56, I’m learning to code.

About the Podcast

The official podcast of the freeCodeCamp open source community.
Learn to code with free online courses, programming projects, and interview preparation for developer jobs.